


Secret Wedding

by loveandwar007



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst, F/M, Family Drama, Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Pre-Calamity Ganon, Romance, Secret Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-02 08:01:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19194907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveandwar007/pseuds/loveandwar007
Summary: In the weeks before the Great Calamity wipes out their kingdom, Link and Zelda pledge themselves to each other in private, and must suffer the consequences when their parents find out.





	Secret Wedding

“How long?” King Rhoam’s voice was hollow with what could only be described as wrath. His daughter would have almost preferred it if he had yelled, making the pillars around the throne room quiver. Somehow, it would have made things easier. But this quiet ire? It was like the sparking wick on the end of an explosive, ready to detonate at any incorrect response. Zelda decided to just go with the truth.

“A little more than a month,” she whispered, keeping her head lowered and staring at the red carpet as if fascinated by it. “It happened in the Great Forest before the Deku Tree, where no one would find us. Impa was our sole witness when we… we pledged ourselves to each other.” Behind her, Link genuflected with his eyes hidden from view, the fist atop his knee a bit tighter than usual. His courage was wavering, and that scared Zelda more than anything.

“I asked you, my child, to put away your books and focus on awakening your power to save us all.”

“I have,” Zelda pleaded, squeezing her eyes shut tight and balling her own hands into fists at her sides.

“I commanded you to avoid any and all distractions that might deter you from this vital task. And you  _ selfishly… _ and  _ ungratefully… _ disobeyed me.”

“I didn’t!” the princess cried out, a sudden burst of bravery setting her heart ablaze. “I have prayed earnestly at the Springs of Courage and Power! Link was there! He accompanied me to both of--!”

“And now I see these were no mere escorts born out of duty.” His eyes narrowed upon her personal knight, his contempt for the boy swelling with each passing moment. “I had reservations in appointing a knight so close to my daughter in age to follow her day and night. Due to your family’s esteemed lineage in service to Hyrule, I ignored this and gave my permission nonetheless.” He paused, watching Link lower his head further. “You have not only betrayed your king’s trust, but also a father’s trust in placing his daughter’s best interests in your hands.”

“Link has been nothing but honorable,” Zelda insisted, feeling the wooden ring, the symbol of her knight’s love, pushing against the skin in between her left fingers. “He hasn’t done a thing to distract my rituals at the springs. But Father… I have had no success, and my chances are running out. If I cannot awaken my power and we are truly without hope, I… I didn’t want to have any regrets. And neither did Link.”

She dropped to her knees and took her father’s hand, kissing it in remorse. “I love him. I  _ love  _ him, and he loves me. You remember what it was like to love Mother, don’t you?”

“Your mother had already harnessed the magic passed down to her by the Goddess. We were flourishing in a time of peace when we wed and we were free to live in bliss.” The king wrenched his hand away and Zelda flinched backwards as if expecting a display of violence that never came. “But we are on the brink of annihilation, and you and Link carry the heaviest burdens of everyone in the kingdom. You do not have  _ time  _ for such things!”

“We never asked for this wretched curse!” Zelda screamed passionately, looking her father directly in the eyes now. “I never wanted the burden of the women who possessed the Goddess’ blood before me! I only ever wanted to be Zelda, and live my life to its fullest!”

“If you fail to access your power, you will not have a life to live! None of us will.” The king who had rumbled with ire only moments before suddenly deflated as tears began to pour from his child’s eyes. If only this were a time of peace. If only he could be pleasantly surprised that Zelda had eloped with Link and not horrifyingly shocked. In another time, in another world where Calamity Ganon didn’t exist, he could give his blessing and embrace Link as the son he never had. Where his only concern would be how young they were to marry, and not how such a pure display of love could prove to be Hyrule’s ultimate downfall.

_ Pure…  _ Could he even be certain of that?

“Zelda,” he said softly, yet loud enough for Link to hear. “I must ask you one more question, and I pray you answer me wisely.”

“Yes, Father,” she replied in a small voice. “What is it?”

“Have you and Link lain together?” There was silence as King Rhoam searched his daughter’s face, washed in tears that dripped to streak the front of her bodice. “Zelda… have the two of you made love?”

“I told you Father, we did not want any regrets.” Her father’s shoulders relaxed, his face softening to give her a brief nod, and Zelda knew instantly that he had misunderstood. Steeling herself, she struggled to her feet and faced him squarely in the eye, Link’s presence alone seeming to give her the courage she needed. She stole a glance back at him, wanting so desperately to find his azure gaze waiting for her, but she knew in her father’s presence he would remain reverent.  _ I promise I will not let him or anyone take you from me…  _

“We did lay together,” she blurted out quickly. “We have… far more than once.”

The door behind them burst open with a deafening clang that made the three of them jolt visibly. A high ranking knight rushed forward in full uniform, removing his helmet before dropping to his knee, which revealed a greyer dusting of the same wheat blond hair of the boy beside him.

“Your Majesty, I departed my post immediately upon receiving your message.”

“I am grateful for your hast, Aiden,” the king managed to say huskily following his daughter’s revelation. Link remained frozen, his eyes glued to the floor, but Zelda could see the slight tremor that had shivered through his form the moment the captain -- his father -- had spoken. “I fear there is a rather serious matter we must discuss regarding our children.”

“How can you expect me to carry the fate of the kingdom on my shoulders and yet  _ still  _ call me a child?!” Zelda cried out indignantly.

_ “Silence!” _ her father roared, causing Zelda to shrink back and drop her chin to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself in a self-comforting hug. No matter how steadfastly she faced him, her father always won, causing her to revert to the terrified lost girl she always had been. And until she could awaken her evasive power and earn his approval, that was all she would be. 

“Has Link done something wrong?” the captain asked, his grey eyes hardening despite the far more pleasant tone of his voice compared to the king’s.

“It’s something they both have done, but yes, your son was a willing participant.” The captain’s face fell further and further as the king explained about their secret love affair and resulting marriage. All the while, Zelda cast her pleading eyes to Link’s downcast head, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Why did he value his duty so much that he could not even look at her?

“I see…” Link’s father turned slowly to look at his son who still had not moved a muscle. Unlike Link, Captain Aiden had quite a readable face, a myriad of emotions playing across it in a span of only a few moments. Anger, fear, disappointment, defeat, then back around again. It was clear that of all the trouble Link had gotten himself into in his short life, this was the deepest of it all. A direct violation of everything he had been working towards, and a blight on their family name.

“Father,” Zelda broke the silence in a soft yet strong voice. “You haven’t allowed Link to say anything.”

“What more could he have to add?” King Rhoam bit out tensely.

A flash of white hot rage pierced Zelda’s heart. “He may be your knight, but in the eyes of the Goddess Hylia, he is also my husband!”

“I don’t want to hear that word in regards to him again, Zelda!”

“Link, stand up!” the princess’ shout rang out through the vast domed sanctum. “I know you cannot possibly bear this burden silently. It has to be killing you inside.”

She was right, as usual. The whole thing  _ was _ killing Link inside, but not because he was in danger of losing his rank. People fell in love and got married every day. They were allowed in this way to give into the selfish desires of their hearts. Not him. He was expected to live completely at the service of Hyrule and the royal family. And should he ever come to love someone, it was certainly not to be the princess who bore the goddess’ blood. They had a destiny, they had paths laid out for them according to a prophecy. A curse. And that curse did not include love.

As Link rose to his feet, he could now see the scene before him, making it nearly unbearable to keep his emotions under control. The king was irate, ready to cast down the fury of a thousand suns upon them both, his glare deepening when Link obeyed his daughter’s command. Beside him was a sight that broke Link’s heart. Zelda, standing strong and fiery, yet she still looked so small and insignificant in comparison to her father. Her jade eyes were resolute, yet contained so much sadness and fear. She was struggling to be brave for him, while knowing inside that the two of them were as good as doomed. 

Link couldn’t stand it. He couldn’t stand watching his wife -- his kind, gentle, beautiful, amazing wife -- crumble like this, weeping as her own father knocked her down every time she got back up again. Why wasn’t she allowed to be happy? Why did her entire life have to revolve around something she didn’t ask for and had no control over? Why did  _ his  _ life have to? It wasn’t right. None of it was.

“Alright, Link. What do you have to say?”

It was perhaps the rather humored tone the king gave him that allowed Link to lock eyes with him so gravely.  _ “As the princess’ personal knight, it is my duty to make sure no harm comes to her,”  _ he signed slowly, tensing his arms so they could not see his fingers trembling.  _ “I would never force her to do something she did not want to do.  I am sworn to tell the truth. And the truth is that I am in love with the Princess. With Zelda.” _

He then turned to his father, who was attempting and failing to mask his own simmering anger.  _ “And I, too, have no regrets. Every moment I have spent with her is a gift from the Goddess. I am not worthy to receive her love, but she has given it to me. And that love, those eyes, and that heavenly smile are a gift that I cannot ever refuse.” _

“Sire,” the captain sighed out, not taking his eyes off of Link. “Will you please excuse my son and I?”

“Very well. I believe some time apart may do them good. But know this, Link.” King Rhoam held up his hand to halt the young warrior in place. “I am within my right to strip you of your status as my daughter’s appointed knight, as well as forbid you from seeing her again. However…” 

He looked to Zelda, who had eyes for no one but Link after he laid his feelings bare, warmth and deep passion radiating from her like the glow of the rising sun. And she smiled. It had been so long since he had seen her smile. The fact that this boy had been the one to bring out that genuine happiness in her was not something he could brush aside as trivial. But he could not simply let them be, not with the entirety of Hyrule at stake. The children had to focus. They had to put their destinies first.

“However, you are the one chosen by the sword that seals the darkness. There is no one better suited for the task of accompanying my daughter than you, Link. So I will allow you to continue. But only between the hours of sunrise and sunset, and I shall have a guard or one of the other Champions keep watch over you both from afar. Until Calamity Ganon has been sealed away.” 

Link let out a long breath before giving a curt nod. Not that he had a choice in the matter anyway. Either he had to agree to these restrictions or this was the last time he would ever see Zelda, despite the fact that they were legally husband and wife. He hated this. The way the king tried to pretend he was on their side made his blood boil. But he had to accept.

“Thank you, my King,” Captain Aiden said before leading his son from the throne room. Link reached towards Zelda, letting his hand hover in midair as she did the same, leaning towards him as if she couldn’t bear the large space between them. There was no need for words or Hylian Sign, for their eyes said it all.

_ I’ll find you, love. I will always find you. _

As soon as the door closed behind Link, Zelda felt a sudden chill leave the air thick with an icy tension. “Father?” He had turned from her, facing the stained glass window behind the throne bearing the mark of the ancient Triforce symbol. “Father, say something.”

“I have nothing more to say to you, Zelda.”

She clutched her chest, as if her heart was physically breaking into pieces and she was vainly trying to hold it together. “Then when will you have something to say?” she cried out in a stronger tone.

There was silence so penetrating it seemed the world around them had stopped spinning. When her father finally spoke, it rang with the tone of a mournful funeral chapel bell. “In four weeks’ time, you will turn seventeen. Thus you will at last be able to perform your rituals at the Spring of Wisdom. I will speak to you when your training has proved fruitful there.”

Zelda’s chest collapsed in on itself, tightening so painfully that she could barely breathe. In a single afternoon, she had lost her husband’s company and her father’s love. All that was left was crippling, suffocating anguish along with a destiny she would never fulfill. Pressing a hand to her mouth to force back her sobs, fresh tears burst from her eyes as the princess gathered up her skirts and dashed as far from the room as her legs would take her.

 

* * *

 

Link didn’t hear a word out of his father as he walked him back to their home in Castle Town, the two of them only vaguely aware of the townspeople bustling to their own homes around them in the wake of sunset. He saw Aryll hanging laundry clothes outside to dry when they approached, and she rushed around to the front door to greet them.

“I didn’t realize you two would be back so early!” she called, quickly throwing an apron around her waist. “I can whip something up in the kitchen really fast, but it won’t be much--” She stopped when she was able to plainly see the grave looks on her father’s and brother’s faces. “What’s wrong?”

“Aryll, go upstairs please,” Aiden ordered in a quiet voice. “I need to have a word with Link alone.” The girl’s eyes darted between them, pressing her hands to her chest as her fair brow creased in worry. Link knew perfectly well that while she would leave the room, there was no way she wasn’t going to listen in behind the paper thin walls. Nodding silently, she scurried into the house and proceeded up the stairs to the loft as Aiden and Link went to the sitting room. When Link heard the door to his sister’s room close, he expected his father to sigh deeply or reprimand him in a firm hush so as not to expose the secret to not only Aryll but the surrounding neighbors as well.

Before another thought could cross his mind, Link found himself reeling backwards from a sharp blow of calloused knuckles against his left cheekbone, grabbing the arm of the chair before he hit the floor. A grunt of pain escaped his dry underused throat as he realized he had been struck by the back of his father’s hand. 

“Aryll!” Aiden shouted up the stairs once more when he heard a faint gasp from behind her door, confirming Link’s suspicions that she would eavesdrop. There was a final sound that might have been a sob before she fell silent, the older man’s gaze travelling back to his hand, trembling as he lowered it slowly. It was as if even he could not believe what he had just done. But it had happened nonetheless, and Link would never forget it as long as he lived.

The boy pushed himself up from his knees, keeping his stone-faced glare on his father despite his instant remorse.  _ “I have done nothing wrong,”  _ he mouthed slowly, making sure he registered every single word.

“How dare you,” Aiden responded in the whisper Link had initially anticipated. “You have been nothing less than obedient since the legendary blade chose you. You pledged to live your life in service to the crown. Any selfish desires had to remain  _ outside _ of your obligations to the Princess. Yet here we stand.” His son’s eyes remained blank, taunting him with the same shade of blue that had belonged to his own heart’s desire, who had left this world far too long ago. 

He shook his thoughts clear, “We are in the midst of a  _ war,  _ Link. A war in which you play the most crucial role. I am afraid for you. Your sister is afraid. And now you have only given us more reason to fear. Your love for Princess Zelda will  _ kill _ you.”

_ “I won’t let it lead me astray,” _ Link signed tightly, his teeth gritted.  _ “I’m not you.”  _ His father had instinctively grabbed for his side, where an old wound had scarred over before he was even born. A permanent reminder of the one time he had faltered in combat, protecting his mother from a village raid where she had nearly fallen victim.

“You’re a child, Link… what do you even know of real love?”

Link didn’t know a thing about love, truthfully. He didn’t know if his love for Zelda was even on the same level as the love his father still harbored for his mother. All he knew was that no one understood the weight of his burden in the same way Zelda did. No one else was his shelter and relief from that pressure like she was, nor listened to and tried to understand him like she did. Everyone else just accepted that this silence and this duty was who Link was, but Zelda was the only person who had ever asked  _ “why?” _ They could talk for hours, laugh in the rain or embrace each other in the cold. He wasn’t enthusiastic about uncovering ancient artifacts at all, and yet he could listen to her gab about her newest discoveries all day. He could lose himself forever in her eyes, her hair, her slender form, and he had several times. She was his light, his safe haven, his sunshine when this storm of the Calamity finally passed. He wanted to say he would fight anyone who ever stood in his way of keeping that warmth in his life.

But his cheekbone still throbbed, and thus Link remained wordless, leaving Aiden’s question hanging hauntingly in the air. And when he felt his father’s hands grip his shoulders, he stubbornly dropped his eyes to the floor.

“Cast your romance aside until Ganon is dispelled. I beg of you, Link.  _ Hyrule  _ begs of you.”

Link wrenched himself away with a noise that closely resembled a growl and stormed up the stairs to his room in the loft adjacent his sister’s. Bolting the door, he flung the sword off his back and into the corner with a loud  _ clang  _ before throwing himself onto his goose-feathered mattress. He rolled over and shut his eyes tight, trying to picture Zelda’s face to calm his heaving breaths, rippling through his chest as if he had just run a great distance. He was tired, so tired of his role as the chosen hero being the only thing of worth he had to offer, the only thing anyone ever cared about. Except  _ her.  _ She knew he was more than this, knew he was valuable as a person despite his mutism and tendencies to close himself off. She had made him realize this for himself, and it was the greatest gift anyone could have ever given him.

A gentle knock sounded on the door leading to the washroom he and Aryll shared. Sure enough, her small voice wafted through the crack. “Link? It’s alright, Father’s gone back out.” Link took a deep breath and rolled off the bed once more, wincing at his sore cheek as he stumbled over to the door and wrenched it open. Aryll stared up at him pityingly, like he was an injured dog she found in the woods, her grey eyes swimming with tears. “Did I hear right? You and the Princess… got married?”

Link nodded, holding out his left hand to show her the wooden ring identical to Zelda’s. Her face broke into a smile despite her sorrowful eyes, “That means she’s my sister-in-law. Oh, I always wanted a sister! And she’s the best I could ever ask for.” Leaning forward, Aryll wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled against his chest. “Congratulations, big brother.”

Link returned her hug a little more tightly, fighting back a lump forming in his throat. Aryll could always see the good in every situation, no matter what anyone else said otherwise. Even just hearing her celebratory tone at his nuptials, when he had heard nothing but scorn and reprimanding for a decision that had given him so much joy, was enough to make him weep. But true to the chosen hero’s stature, he kept his emotions firmly in check as he pulled back and ruffled his sister’s hair playfully.

“Quit it,” she deadpanned, exchanging a smirk with him before it quickly faded. “I… I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I’ve never seen Father strike you before and--” Her voice caught in her throat, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand.

_ “I’m alright,” _ he mouthed. Well, physically he was. But deep down, he wanted more than anything to be with his wife tonight. She had looked so grieved beside her father in the throne room, and it had taken all of Link’s self discipline to not run up and hold her close until all of her pain vanished. Just as she had helped him, Zelda needed to know that she was more than just a role to play in a prophecy.

“But you want to go to her, don’t you?” Aryll whispered. 

Link let out a slight chuckle, signing,  _ “Nothing gets past you, does it?” _

“Nope!” she chirped. For a twelve-year-old, she had always been surprisingly astute and mature. Link supposed that being the only woman in the house had that effect on her. “Alright, you can climb down the vines outside my window. And don’t worry if you stay out all night.” She winked, “I’ll cover for you.” Link gave her one last tight hug in thanks, feeling ashamed that Aryll could not have been present for his wedding. After the Calamity was taken care of, he would be sure to arrange some “girl time” between her and Zelda to make it up to her.

 

* * *

 

The sun had already disappeared, blanketing Hyrule in the deep ebony of dusk by the time Link snuck his way out of Aryll’s window, after she had insisted he comb his hair. “Girls like boys who take care of themselves, and don’t look like they’ve been fighting bokoblins all day,” she had advised him. Even if Zelda did care about that sort of thing, which Link was positive she didn’t, this was far from a forbidden night of romance he was heading out for. This was a rescue. Not from moblins or bandits or Ganon himself, but from an evil much more dangerous and consuming: Zelda’s own despair.

Sneaking around the guards on patrol was easy, he knew their rounds by heart and knew precisely when no one would be directly beneath the princess’ bedroom tower. And luckily for him, two of the guards nearby appeared to be gossiping under their breath to each other and not paying him any mind. Link supposed word must be travelling fast of what happened, much to his dismay. Digging his nails into the stone crevices, he hoisted himself up and scaled the tower with ease, pacing himself so as not alert any of the men down below. As he neared the top, he prayed to Hylia that Zelda’s window was open and she had not been forced to lock it. Perhaps she wasn’t even awake, and he had made this trek for nothing. His insides turned to ice. He would definitely be spotted on his way back down the tower, and then he would be in even deeper trouble than he already was. His fears evaporated, however, when his fingers found the wooden shutters and he was able to open them with ease. 

“Who’s there?!” cried the voice that sent a ray of warmth into Link’s heart. Hooking his hands around the sill, he pushed himself off the wall and did a backflip into the room, landing less than gracefully on his feet. Zelda gasped, and his own eyes widened at the sight that greeted him. The room was dimmed by candlelight, and the princess had sprung to her feet atop her mattress in her cream-colored chemise, pointing a drawn bow and arrow in his direction. Her fingers relaxed on the string when she realized who it was.

“Link?” She dropped the bow, her knees weakening as she wilted back onto the mattress. “Oh Link, I was hoping you’d come.”

_ “Didn’t look like it,”  _ Link remarked silently, indicating the forgotten bow and arrow on the floor with an air of alarm.

Zelda forced a smile. “With Ganon closing in and the Yiga Clan still out there, I’m a primary target. I can never be too careful.” Her humor could only hold up for so long, her features beginning to crumble under the weight of the world, and Link couldn’t bear it. Crossing the room in a few great strides, he slid onto the bed just as she reached for him, latching her arms around his neck.

“Hold me,” she begged tearfully, “Just hold me…” Link buried his face in her hair as he took her into his arms, planting gentle kisses in the crook of her neck while the patter of her tears soaked his collar. “I can’t take this anymore, Link. Curse this prophecy, curse this sealing power, and-- and  _ curse  _ my father!”

_ “Shh,” _ Link breathed into her ear, feeling her pull back to look him in the eyes. She welled with fresh tears, “Oh Link… that wasn’t… he didn’t…” He had no idea what she was talking about until her fingers lightly touched his cheek where his father had hit him. From the miserable way she was examining him, a bruise must have been forming along his cheekbone.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Zelda shuddered as she wept, tenderly pressing her lips to his wound. “I’ve ruined everything for you. Your career, your reputation, your relationship with your father--”

Link seized her tightly once more, shaking his head fervently against her shoulder. She had not ruined a single thing for him. If anything, this marriage had revealed everyone’s true colors regarding what they thought of him. Of both of them. The hero reincarnate and the princess with the goddess’ blood were just pawns in this deathly game of chess to every elder figure in Hyrule who believed in prophecies and fortune tellers. But to him, she was just Zelda.

And to her, he was just Link. The fact that she had once judged him so harshly due to the sword he wore on his back, just as everyone else did, was a penance walk from which she would never cease. Although he hid it so well, he was clearly damaged by fears he was forced to conceal, and Zelda longed to be that safe haven he could come back to. From the moment they had begun to open their hearts to each other, the princess wished with everything inside her to be the one who cared for the hero in his darkest hours. 

She burrowed herself deeper into him, the incessant combing of her fingers through his hair having tugged his hair tie loose, leaving thick honey-blond locks draping down to his shoulders. His own hands massaging the small of her back kept her secure and made her shiver pleasantly all at once. She hated that she could not enjoy his company, her mind plagued with the impending Calamity to come and how she was unable to fulfill her duty against it. And even in his intimate embrace, she felt that same distance emitting from him.

“Link… are you afraid to face Ganon?” He tensed and she smoothed his hair comfortingly. “It’s alright, I won’t tell anyone. You’re safe here.” His heartbeat quickened a bit pressed against her own just before he pulled back, his eyes hidden beneath his swept bangs. He refused to look up even when she coaxed him with her hand on his cheek. But he leaned into her touch, cradling her hand against his face. And after exhaling a shaking breath, he nodded slowly, breaking his wife’s heart into pieces all over again.

“Oh my love…” Through her tears, she saw his mouth begin to form a hesitant sentence, lacking in volume but overflowing with the passion mirrored in his glittering blue eyes.

_ “But I’m more afraid of losing you.” _

“Don’t you worry about me. When it happens… I do not want you thinking about me for one second. You have to focus on destroying him, Link.” She sounded like her father and she despised it, but she would never be able to live with herself if he fell because of her. “Especially if I’m unable to do a thing.”

Link cupped the back of her head and brought his lips to hers, drinking in the sweet nectar of her kiss as she hungrily reciprocated. Zelda deserved the world and every good thing in it, and if he had to die to give her that world, then so be it. Pulling her close, he fell backwards onto the mattress with her on top of him, never once breaking their seal of devotion until Zelda was forced to come up for air.

“Mmm, you always know how to take my mind off these wretched thoughts,” she said through a genuine smile, feeling his idle fingers get caught in her golden hair. His eyes shone almost expectantly at their position, but she shook her head. “I’m sorry, I’m just… too upset tonight.”

Link couldn’t deny that he was a bit disappointed, but he understood. The fact that she even had room in her heart for him when it was occupied by so many other dreams and desires was miraculous. But that was who she was; a kind, intelligent, resourceful, compassionate leader. And it was why he had fallen so hopelessly for her. He brought his left hand with the wooden ring up to her own, folding their fingers so the rings lined up with each other. Plain, simple symbols of their pledge to each other that seemed to possess their own unique magic.

And they both closed their eyes, pressing their foreheads together, returning to that moment in time where no evil within Hyrule nor the rest of the world could touch them…

 

* * *

 

“Do you, Princess Zelda of Hyrule, take Link to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?” The great rumble of the Deku Tree ceased, and Zelda turned to gaze upon the man who would be hers. She had never seen her reckless knight look so clean in his white tunic with gold trim adorned with a silent princess boutonniere. The feel of his hands were rough, calloused and battle-worn, yet these were the hands she wanted in hers for the rest of her life. However long that might be.

“I do.” It sighed like a final breath of life leaving her lungs, and her heart soared at the childlike smile spreading on Link’s face at her vow.

“And do you Link take Princess Zelda of Hyrule as your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, until death do you part?” The last time Link had stood upon this pedestal, he was twelve years old and wielding the weight of the Master Sword for the first time. It could not be more fitting for him to return here to share the next milestone of his life with her. It was as if Hylia herself were standing before the underdressed unworthy knight Link knew he was, the heavenly glow of sunlight circling her golden head paling in comparison to the contented smile gracing her soft features. The white silk gown worthy of the Goddess herself flowed to her ankles, rippling gently in the breeze along with her hair woven with pale blue silent princess flowers. There was perfection in the simplicity of their attire, an innocence in which nothing but their love was laid bare.

_ “I do,”  _ he mouthed, mustering a whisper for this, the most important moment in his life for the woman he loved more than anything in this world. Any strain to his damaged vocal folds was worth it. Zelda, who had not expected this, welled with sudden tears and gripped his hands tighter as the divine moment finally came.

“United before this witness, and blessed by the grace of the Goddess Hylia, I now pronounce you man and wife. The rings, please.”

Impa strode forward, her face solemn as usual and intimidating in her broad-shouldered form and ceremonial face paint, giving them both a slight bow. “My dear young royals, please take these rings carved from the generous wood of the Deku Tree.” She opened her fist to reveal the simple smooth bands etched with Hylian text. “May they serve as the thread that binds your hearts and souls together as one, and a symbol of the union of our kingdom’s wisdom and courage.”

As Link moved first to slide the ring up Zelda’s finger, the wind wafted through the branches of the forest shielding them like a dome over their heads. The spring flowers shook free, petals fluttering down to swirl around the blessed couple.  _ Infinite falling petals,  _ the young Sheikah woman realized, watching Zelda take up Link’s ring in turn.  _ The sign of eternal love. _ She did not know what the future had in store, nor what this Calamity would mean for the kingdom, although her premonition still spelled out a terrifying vision. But as the princess and her knight kissed deeply to complete their vows, what she did know was that Hyrule needed their union. A devotion that would somehow transcend time itself. No matter what happened to them, they would always find each other. Not just for their own sake, but for the sake of Hyrule’s fate.

For the first time, Link’s face beheld raw emotion of utmost happiness. For the first time, Zelda was content with herself and the confidence that Link’s love gave her. With their burdens left outside of the forest, the altar before the Deku Tree housed their dreams and hopes for their new life together. Their love was sealed. Within the hollow of the tree where a humble bed was prepared, their marriage was consummated under a bright clear moon and inky sky speckled with countless stars. 

Just this once, the princess without her magic and the knight without his sword, were victorious.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos are great, but comments are better :)


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